Movable casting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A movable casting apparatus, capable of being coupled to a casting mold transport device, includes an undercarriage arranged to move in the direction of the casting mold transport device and an upper carriage movably supported on the undercarriage for movement transverse to the direction of movement of the undercarriage. A closed induction channel furnace having a bottom tap and a removable cover is movably and tiltably mounted on the upper carriage and the means for moving, tilting and operating the furnace are incorporated on the upper carriage.

United States Patent Domres et a].

[ 51 Aug. 22, 1972 [54] MOVABLE CASTING APPARATUS 3,531,074 9/1970Zelley ..266/36 P 72 Inventors; Hans Georg Domres, Dortmund 2,586,5962/l952 Bahney ..l64/336 X o Emil Sim, Braumbauer; 3,459,312 8/1969Britcher .l64/335 X Horst iuh Dortmundinh, all 2,088,547 7/1937.Camerota ..l64/336 f Germany 2,889,597 6/1959 Griffiths ..l64/335 [73]Assignee: g f Boveri & Mann Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser emanyAssistant Examiner-John S. Brown [22] Filed: Sept. 15, 1970Attorney-McGlewand Toren [21] Appl. No.: 72,362 [57] ABSTRACT [30]Foreign Application Priority Data A movable casting apparatus, capableof being coupled -to a casting mold transport device, includes an P 26,1969 Germany 69 37 640-5 undercarriage arranged to move in the directionof the casting mold transport device and an upper carriage U-S.Clmovably upported on the undercarriagg for move- [5 IIEt. Cl. ..B.22d ttransverse t th di ti f movement f th [58] new of Search-164335!266/361) undercarriage. A closed induction channel furnace 266/36 38having a bottom tap and a removable cover is movably and tiltablymounted on the upper carriage and the [56] References cued means formoving, tilting and operating the furnace UNlTED STATES PATENTS areincorporated on the upper carriage.

1,608,801 11/1926 Masel 164/336 X 4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 24 28 I7 i22 26 ii 28\.

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l l I l6 6 3i? Patented Aug. 22, 1972 3,685,573

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 my. I

lnrentolg HANS esone 00H ass enu. SIHONS HORST GILLHAUS BY myfiw 17mATTORNEYS MOVABLE CASTING APPARATUS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention is directed to a movable casting apparatus which can becoupled with a casting mold transport device during the castingoperation and,

more particularly, it is directed to a casting apparatus In anarrangement, such as shown in DAS 1,288,767, I

which can be connected temporarily by means of a known synchronous unitto a casting mold transport device, an unheated, open top bottom tapladle is used which is replaced by another filled ladle when the firstladle is emptied.

A disadvantage of the casting machine presently in use, is that thetemperature of the melt in the bottom tap ladle drops to such an extentduring the successive filling of individual molds that differences inquality appear in the products cast, and such differences result inunusable products. In addition, when an empty ladle is replaced by afilled one, the casting mold transport device must be stopped because itis not possible to continue casting during this changeover. Accordingly,a primary object of the present invention is to prevent cooling of themelt as it is poured from the bottom tap ladle into the casting molds,and, furthermore, to permit refilling of the ladle without interruptingthe casting operation.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a closed inductionchannel furnace is used as the bottom tap ladle and it incorporates aremovable and replaceable cover which is operated by a hydrauliccylinder assembly. To permit replacement of those parts of the inductionchannel furnace which are most subject to wear, such as the bottomspout, the stopper rod, and the channel inductor, the induction channelfurnace is tiltably supported on pivot bearings secured to the uppercarriage so that the furnace can be tilted or rotated about a horizontalaxis when the furnace is partially filled and the casting operation isdiscontinued.

To assure safe operating conditions when the partly filled bottom tapladle is tilted, in accordance with the present invention, a tiltingmechanism including a pair of lever arms articulated to opposite sidesof the induction channel furnace and coupled with piston rods ofhydraulic cylinder assemblies, is used for effecting the tiltingprocedure.

When the induction channel furnace is tilted from its normal castingposition, means are provided for securing the furnace in the tiltedposition which include a locking pin secured to the upper carriage andarranged to engage within bores formed in a cam disk attached to thefurnace.

To assure the unhindered movement of the upper carriage and theinduction channel furnace relative to the undercarriage, a hydraulicplant with the necessary switching and control elements is incorporatedon the upper carriage, such as in cabinets, for operating the varioushydraulic cylinder assemblies used in the movement and operation of theupper carriage and the induction channel furnace.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptivematter in which there is illus trated a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a movable casting apparatus, in accordance withthe present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, acasting apparatus consists of an undercarriage 3 movably supported on apair of spaced rails 1 so that the undercarriage is movable in thedirection of movement of a casting mold transport device 2. Theundercarriage 3 is coupled with the continuously moving casting moldtransport device during the casting operation and at the completion ofthe casting operation it returns to its starting position.

An upper carriage 5 is movably supported on the undercarriage 3 by meansof rollers 4 and the upper carriage moves transversely to the directionof movement of the undercarriage and the casting mold transport deviceso that the bottom tap 6 of an induction channel furnace 7 can bepositioned by known means, not represented in the drawing, over an inlet8 into a mold 9 on the casting mold transport device 2.

The induction channel furnace 7 is supported on the upper carriage 5 bymeans of a pair of pivot bearings 11 located on the opposite sides ofthe upper carriage. Each pivot bearing 1 1 has a lever arm attached toit and the lever arms are arranged to pivot about a horizontal axis 12.The lever arms are secured at their upper ends into the pivot bearingsand their lower ends are articulated to piston rods 13 secured topistons 14 movably displaceable within cylinders 15 in response to theadmission of hydraulic fluid into the cylinders. By displacing thepiston rod 13, the induction channel furnace 7 can be tilted about ahorizontal axis and the spout 16 in the bottom tap 6, the tapping rod17, and the channel inductor 8, all parts which are subject to rapidwear during casting operations, can be replaced during interruptions inthe casting operation when the induction channel furnace is partlyfilled, if it is necessary to do so.

To secure the induction channel furnace 7 in the tilted position, alocking pin 19 is secured to the upper carriage 5 and the pin can beselectively inserted into one of a plurality of spaced bores 20 in a camdisk 21 secured to the induction furnace 7.

During casting operations the melt is always maintained at theprescribed temperature within the furnace by means of its inductor,accordingly, to seal the furnace hermetically during casting, so thatoxidation of the melt is reduced during that period, and also forcharging melt into the furnace during casting operations, the furnace isprovided with a cover 22 which is operatively connected to a hydrauliccylinder 23 for lifting the cover from its opening, for moving the coverlaterally and, after charging the melt into the furnace from a feederladle or moving trough, the cover can again be replaced in the furnaceopening. To assure that the induction channel furnace 7 can be tiltedand to avoid any interference withits operation, the elements 28 foroperating the tapping rod 17 as well as the elements 29 for handling thecover, are arranged on the furnace itself.

' To provide the independent movement of the upper carriage relative tothe undercarriage 3, a hydraulic plant 24 with the necessaryswitchingand control elements 25 is arranged in cabinets 26, 27 on the uppercarriage. By means of the hydraulic plant the lateral movement of theupper carriage can be accomplished by means of hydraulic cylinders 30and, in addition, the tilting of the furnace and the raising andlowering of its cover can also be achieved. The movable castingapparatus, described above, has the advantage that successive amounts ofmelt can be delivered from the induction channel furnace at a constanttemperature into casting molds which are moved continuously through thecasting zone without interruption with the result that castings ofuniformly good quality can be produced in larger quantities within agiven unit of time than had been possible in the past.

We claim: I

1. Movable casting apparatus capable of being coupled to'a casting moldtransport device during a casting operation, comprising a movableundercarriage arranged to move in the direction of movement of thecasting mold transport device, an upper carriage movably mounted on saidundercarriage for movement transverse to the direction of movement ofthe casting mold transverse device, a bottom tap'ladle supported on saidupper carriage, wherein the improvement comprises said bottom tap ladleis a closed induction channel furnace, a removable cover for saidinduction channel furnace, and means for removing and replacing saidcover, said means for removing and replacing said cover comprises ahydraulic cylinder assembly mounted on said upper carriage andoperatively connected to said cover.

2. Movable casting apparatus capable of being coupled to a casting moldtransport device during a casting operation, comprising a movableundercarriage arranged to move in the direction of movement of thecasting mold transport device, an upper carriage movably mounted on saidundercarriage for movement transverse to the direction of movement ofthe casting mold transport device, a bottom tap ladle supported on saidupper carriage, wherein the improvement comprises said bottom tap ladleis a closed induction channel furnace, a removable cover for saidinduction channel furnace, means for removing and replacing said cover,means provided for tiltably supporting said induction channel furnaceabout a horizontal axis, means for securing said induction channelfurnace in the tilted,

led to a castin o d trans rt peration, con p i-ising a ihgva ranged tomove in the direction .of movement of the casting mold transport device,an upper carriage movably mounted on said undercarriage for movementtransverse to the direction of movement of the casting mold transportdevice, a bottom tap ladle supported on said upper carriage, wherein theimprovement comprises said bottom tap ladle is a closed inductionchannel furnace, a removable cover for said induction chan-, nelfurnace, means for removing and replacing said cover, and meansoperatively connected to said upper carriage for movably displacing saiduppercarriage and said furnace transversely of the direction of movementof the casting mold device, said meansfor movably displacing said uppercarriage comprises a hydraulic cylinder assembly operatively connectedto said imdercarriage and to said upper carriage.

4. Movable casting apparatus capable of being coupled to a casting moldtransport deviceduring a casting operation, comprising a movableundercarriage ar-- ranged to move in the direction of movement of thecasting mold transport device, an upper carriage movably mounted on saidundercarriage for movement transverse to the direction of movement ofthe casting mold transport device, a bottom tap ladle supported on Qsaid upper carriage, wherein the improvement comprises said bottom tapladle is a closed induction channel furnace, a removable cover for saidinduction channel furnace, means for removing and replacing said cover,a hydraulic plant including switching and control elements and hydrauliccylinder assemblies sup-' ported on said upper carriage for movablydisplacing said upper carriage, for tilting said furnace, and forremoving and replacing said cover, on said furnace and for opening thebottom tap in said furnace.

1. Movable casting apparatus capable of being coupled to a casting moldtransport device during a casting operation, comprising a movableundercarriage arranged to move in the direction of movement of thecasting mold transport device, an upper carriage movably mounted on saidundercarriage for movement transverse to the direction of movement ofthe casting mold transverse device, a bottom tap ladle supported on saidupper carriage, wherein the improvement comprises said bottom tap ladleis a closed induction channel furnace, a removable cover for saidinduction channel furnace, and means for removing and replacing saidcover, said means for removing and replacing said cover comprises ahydraulic cylinder assembly mounted on said upper carriage andoperatively connected to said cover.
 2. Movable casting apparatuscapable of being coupled to a casting mold transport device during acasting operation, comprising a movable undercarriage arranged to movein the direction of movement of the casting mold transport device, anupper carriage movably mounted on said undercarriage for movementtransverse to the direction of movement of the casting mold transportdevice, a bottom tap ladle supported on said upper carriage, wherein theimprovement comprises said bottom tap ladle is a closed inductionchannel furnace, a removable cover for said induction channel furnace,means for removing and replacing said cover, means provided for tiltablysupporting said induction channel furnace about a horizontal axis, meansfor securing said induction channel furnace in the tilted position, andsaid means for securing said furnace in the tilted position comprising acam disc having a plurality of spaced bores therethrough attached tosaid furnace, and a locking pin secured to said upper carriage andselectively arranged for engagement within the bores in said disc forsecuring said furnace in its tilted position.
 3. Movable castingapparatus capable of being coupled to a casting mold transport deviceduring a casting operation, comprising a movable undercarriage arrangedto move in the direction of movement of the casting mold transportdevice, an upper carriage movably mounted on said undercarriage formovement transverse to the direction of movement of the casting moldtransport device, a bottom tap ladle supported on said upper carriage,wherein the improvement comprises said bottom tap ladle is a closedinduction channel furnace, a removable cover for said induction channelfurnace, means for removing and replacing said cover, and meansoperatively connected to said upper carriage for movably displacing saidupper carriage and said furnace transversely of the direction ofmovement of the casting mold device, said means for movably displacingsaid upper carriage comprises a hydraulic cylinder assembly operativelyconnected to said undercarriage and to said upper carriage.
 4. Movablecasting apparatus capable of beiNg coupled to a casting mold transportdevice during a casting operation, comprising a movable undercarriagearranged to move in the direction of movement of the casting moldtransport device, an upper carriage movably mounted on saidundercarriage for movement transverse to the direction of movement ofthe casting mold transport device, a bottom tap ladle supported on saidupper carriage, wherein the improvement comprises said bottom tap ladleis a closed induction channel furnace, a removable cover for saidinduction channel furnace, means for removing and replacing said cover,a hydraulic plant including switching and control elements and hydrauliccylinder assemblies supported on said upper carriage for movablydisplacing said upper carriage, for tilting said furnace, and forremoving and replacing said cover on said furnace and for opening thebottom tap in said furnace.